Scam alert: Eaton County sheriff warns of scammers impersonating deputies

CHARLOTTE, Mich. (WILX) - Sheriff Thomas Reich is warning of a new scam in Mid-Michigan. According to a law enforcement, citizens have been contacted by someone impersonating a Deputy from the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office.

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In the scam, the citizens have been told that they missed a DNA test and had a warrant out for their arrest. They were told to withdraw a large some of money and to call the “Deputy” back on their cell phone when they had the money.

“[Residents] were told to stay on the line and were given instructions to deposit the money in a specific Bitcoin (a form of virtually untraceable cyber currency) machine,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social media post. “In one case, after the citizen complied, they were then told that they had another warrant and were told to do the same thing again.”

Sheriff Reich stressed that Eaton County Deputies will never contact citizens telling them they have warrants out for their arrest and asking for money.

Anyone contacted by scammers should report them to Michigan’s Office of Investigative Services.

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